Between Breaths
London – Morning Light
Rhea woke to the sound of slow rain against glass.
Lex's hotel room was dim, quiet, the kind of silence that followed after something meaningful had been said—or left unsaid.
She sat up slowly, the sheet slipping down her bare shoulder, memories flickering like shadows: the kiss, the truth, the weight of his touch like an anchor after years of drifting.
Lex stood at the window, bare-chested, coffee in hand, staring at the city like he was trying to decode it.
Rhea padded over, silent.
"Morning," she said softly.
Lex didn't turn. "Did you mean it? Last night?"
She hesitated. "Every word."
He exhaled, slow. "Then don't run this time."
Rhea stepped behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm not the one who ran."
Lex turned finally, eyes heavy with memory. "We're in this now. Whatever this is, whatever Ezra is planning, he made it personal."
Her voice dropped. "Because of me?"
"No," Lex said. "Because of Sky."
India- Shivin's Office
Shivin Kapoor's office was minimalist, white walls and glass, everything too clean to be real.
He looked up from his laptop as Sky and Micah entered.
"Sky," Shivin said, standing. "You look like hell. Sit."
Micah gave him a tight nod. "Thanks for seeing us."
Shivin waved it off. "You said Cartwright, and Ezra. That's enough to clear my schedule for a month."
Sky dropped into the chair. "We think they're activating old subjects again. Ones connected to Project EchoNet."
Shivin's jaw tightened. "I thought that was decommissioned after Geneva."
Micah looked at him. "You were involved?"
Shivin didn't blink. "I was recruited. I left when I realized what they were really building."
Sky shrugged. "It was safer."
Shivin sat back. "Then we have less time than I thought. If Ezra's drawing Him and Micah together, he's not just testing emotional resonance—he's trying to trigger a full memory bleed."
Micah frowned. "What's that?"
Shivin's voice was quiet. "When two bonded subjects with suppressed memories reconnect… their minds start to sync. They remember what they shouldn't. Feel what wasn't theirs to feel."